There’s Something About My Nose

People considering a nose job come to a rhinoplasty specialist like Dr. Naderi with a variety of issues. There are so many aspects to a single nose, both visible to the naked eye and hidden beneath the nasal skin.

Shape, foundation, features, skin type, relationship to the whole face — a skilled and experienced rhinoplasty specialist works to balance all of these elements while addressing a patient’s specific concerns.

Questions that rhinoplasty candidates bring to Dr. Naderi are almost as varied as nose types. The responses posted here to some of the more frequent questions are not intended as substitutes for in-person consultation. But you may find that you share some of the same aesthetic issues.

Questions You Might Have for Your Surgeon

Can a nose job improve a small, turned-up, pixie-like nose?

Definitely. Some people are born “pixie” — with small, short upturned noses. (Others can end up with pug noses from an over-aggressive, botched surgery.) The pixie upturn can be tamed with a lengthening of the nose, which is achieved using various cartilage graft techniques.

Can a nose job fix crookedness at the tip of the nose, and why does this crookedness occur?

An examination of the nose is critical to making any judgment about the reason for a crooked tip. But most likely it is due to: asymmetry between the lower lateral cartilages (which extend out from the septal cartilage at the bottom of the nose and curl around the nostrils); a crooked septum; skin and nostril asymmetries; or some combination of these. Significant improvements through rhinoplasty or septorhinoplasty can be made, although perfect symmetry is often unrealistic.

My nose is too droopy, especially in the tip. I’m Middle Eastern and I would like to know how you would fix this without making me look too Westernized.

“Westernized” is too broad of a term. Middle Easterners are Caucasian by and large; therefore a Middle Eastern patient’s face may already look “Western” despite a large or droopy nose. The concern here is a fake-looking nose or one that looks unnatural. Well-balanced rhinoplasty results should eliminate this worry.

Depending on other features — eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, lips, skin color — you may end up looking Italian, Spanish, French, Belgian or Middle Eastern. But still natural, and not fake.

I feel like my nose has changed as I’ve gotten older. I’ve heard of noses drooping with age, but I seem to have grown a hump that I never had before. Can rhinoplasty fix this?

Rhinoplasty in older patients can be very rewarding and can bring youth and rejuvenation and balance back to the face. If the tip droops and the skin thins out, humps may appear — especially if you lose volume from your face and cheeks, which can in turn make the nose appear proportionately larger. A good rhinoplasty in an older patient can give the illusion of a facelift!

The tip of my nose is too round and ball-like. Can this be fixed with a nose job? Will the rest of my nose be left untouched?

Tip cartilages can be modified with tip rhinoplasty to make the nose less round or less ball-like. If the rest of your nose is fine, it can be left alone. But if it turns out you also need bridge work, then just doing the tip makes little sense.

Can you make my nose look like a photo of one I find?

No! Your nose is not a solid structure, like a block of granite or a bar of soap, to be sculpted into anything that fits within its original dimensions.

The nose is made up of thin films of cartilage and bone with overlying skin, and each patient has a different anatomy. Each patient also heals differently, with different amount of scar tissue. Given all that, recreating someone else’s nose becomes unrealistic.

However, bringing in a picture of a nose you like, or even a nose you don’t like, is welcome. It will help the doctor understand your aesthetic taste and your goals.

Contact the doctor at (701) 481-0002 at his Herndon, VA office, or (301) 222-2020 to reach the Chevy Chase, MD office.